When it Mattered
by Kara B
Summary: Love Beyond Desire


Title: When it Mattered

Author: Kara B aricadavidson or karamuse

Rating: PG-13

Pairing/Character: Lisa Cuddy

Warnings: discusses rape

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine.

Theme: Love Beyond Desire philosophy20

Summary:

It was after midnight when he got the call. Life-altering events seemed prone to occur at night anyway. Or maybe it was just that God was that sadistic. Either way, at 3AM, it just plain sucked.

"What the hell is it?" he answered on the third ring… or maybe it was the fifth. He was too sleepy and tired to remember and that information wasn't worth the effort anyway. There was no immediate response. Damn. Wrong number. "Hello?' he asked again, managing to make his voice sound even more irritated than it had the first time.

"Dr. House?" Ah, Dr. Cuddy… of course. He should have figured. Not many other people would have the guts to call him at this hour. He frowned and opened his mouth to make a remark about being unable to do anything without him, but something stopped him. "I need your help."

She sounded… hurt, for lack of a better descriptor. "Are you alright?" No, they really didn't get along that well but he didn't wish ill upon her and he did his best not to sound overly concerned. No need to ruin his perfectly aloof and uncaring reputation if he didn't have to and until he knew what was going on… "Cuddy?" he asked again when she didn't respond.

"No, I'm not," she replied softly. "Could you… could you come get me?"

This was getting more odd by the syllable. "Where are you?"

She related to him an address on the other side of town from where she lived. i _Another piece of the puzzle_ /i . Something tickled at the back of his mind. Something was very wrong. This wasn't normal Dr. Cuddy behavior. Instead of grilling her for an explanation or asking her why, all he said was, "I'll be right there."

He arrived about twenty minutes later to find her sitting in a vacant parking lot, shivering. Immediately he surveyed her condition, the surroundings, the time of night and the look of shock on her face and he knew what had happened. And for some reason she had called him? He glanced around once more to see no one there. "Let's get out of here."

She climbed on behind him and clung to him, not just holding on but actually clinging. He could feel her shaking, much as she was trying to hide it. "We really should get you to the hospital." Brilliant way to comfort her, Greg.

"No."

"Alright. Your house then?"

She shook her head. "A hotel… any one will do."

"Lisa," he started. He didn't often use her first name. "You need to go to the hospital. It's important."

She shook her head as he revved the motorcycle. Instead of forcing the issue, he simply drove them both back to his house. She started to speak again but shook his head, cutting her off. "You can have the bed. I sleep on the couch half the time anyway."

"I can't stay here."

"My snoring's not that bad," he retorted, falling back into a bit of their routine bickering. She wouldn't admit she wasn't alright and she needed the normalcy. She didn't respond this time, shivering and looking around instead. He got off the bike and walked inside, sensing her following him hesitantly. Inside, he closed the door, and turned to look at her. "Do you want to tell me or should I guess, because I already have a pretty good idea." He hobbled across the room to sit in a chair and nodded at the couch. She shifted nervously before sitting down. House paused for a long moment. "You were attacked," he prompted.

Cuddy stared at him for a moment, then slowly nodded. Her eyes darted around the room momentarily.

"I promise, there's no one else here. You're safe." He paused for a long moment, then continued. "You called me… of everyone you could have called…" he trailed off, hoping she would pick up the conversation.

"Greg… please don't," she shivered suddenly. "I'll be fine. Just let it be and do me the favor of not telling anyone."

"You know I can't do that," he replied. "I'm completely incapable of leaving anything be." He paused, standing up. "You could've called Wilson… or Cameron because she's a girl… or anyone else. Why me?"

Lisa looked away, unable to speak. She had called him because despite all their differences, she knew she could trust him when it really mattered. She watched as he stood, hobbled over to the couch and sat on the other side, still giving her some space.

"Does my leg make me look a lot less intimidating? If it does, maybe I need to get a new cane or something. I'd hate to have my image ruined."

That was when the tears came.

"Yeah, I know it's a sad thought," he responded flippantly, but put an arm around her and let her cry, saying not a word.

continuation is being considered


End file.
